Pick n Pay Targets Fresh Food Growth with Ex-Woolworths MD

Pick n Pay is shifting its primary retail focus toward fresh food, directly challenging Woolworths in its core market as part of a broader turnaround strategy following years of financial losses, Biznews reported.

Fresh Food Drives Growth as Supermarket Turnover Dips

Fresh food will drive future expansion, Pick n Pay CEO Sean Summers told Biznews in a recent interview. “Fresh is going to be vital for us,” Summers said. “A huge part of our growth at the moment is coming out of fresh, which is where we want to be.” In its latest interim results, Pick n Pay reported a 0.1% decline in supermarket turnover, a drop largely tied to the net disposal of 19 stores within that segment. Like-for-like sales across company-owned stores rose by 2.4%, while franchise stores experienced a 1% increase. At the same time, sales growth in Pick n Pay clothing decreased by approximately 0.7%, highlighting the supermarket business and fresh produce division as the central engine for recovery.

This operational pivot mirrors the existing model at Woolworths. In its previous financial results, Woolworths stated its intention to center its business around its food division, which generates more than half of the company’s total turnover. Reorienting operations around food is designed to attract investors and mitigate performance volatility. PSG Wealth equity analyst Fisokuhle Mbutho told Daily Investor that this restructuring helps insulate earnings. “Its importance to the group has been to be less volatile in earnings growth relative to the other more discretionary segments,” Mbutho said, noting that the strategy enables increased capital expenditure and greater stability.

Leadership Transition and the Path to 2029

To execute this fresh-food strategy, Pick n Pay appointed Spencer Sonn as CEO-designate. Sonn previously spent six years as managing director of Woolworths’ food division and also managed overseas operations in New Zealand. Summers noted that Sonn’s background in the fresh food sector made him the definitive choice for the role. “Had he not had that experience, we might not have been having a conversation,” Summers told Biznews.

Sonn will assume the role of CEO-designate in February 2027 to work alongside Summers, ensuring a structured leadership handover before officially taking over as CEO in May 2028. Pick n Pay stated that this timeline provides adequate space for Sonn to settle into executive leadership and guide ongoing recovery efforts. The company has operated at a loss since being declared technically insolvent in 2024, setting a corporate target to reach break-even status by 2029.